The twelve kingdoms

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The twelve kingdoms
Original title 十二国記
transcription Jūni Kokuki
genre Fantasy
Light novel
country JapanJapan Japan
author Fuyumi Ono
illustrator Akihiro Yamada
publishing company Kōdansha
First publication June 20, 1992 - July 2013
expenditure 8th
Anime television series
title 12 Kingdoms - Juuni Kokki
Original title 十二国記
transcription Jūni Kokuki
Country of production JapanJapan Japan
original language Japanese
Year (s) 2002-2003
Studio Pierrot
length 24 minutes
Episodes 45
Director Tsuneo Kobayashi
music Kunihiko Ryō
First broadcast April 9, 2002 to August 30, 2003 on NHK
synchronization

The Twelve Kingdoms ( Japanese 十二国記 Jūni Kokuki , literally: "The Records of the Twelve Countries") is an incomplete light novel series ( illustrated novels ) by Fuyumi Ono ( 小野 不由 美 ) with illustrations by Akihiro Yamada . It includes six novels and a collection of short stories published by Kōdansha between 1991 and 2001 . Studio Pierrot implemented the series as a 45-episode anime , which aired in Japan between April 9, 2002 and August 30, 2003 on NHK . In addition, the series served as a template for two PlayStation 2 games that were published by Konami in 2003 and 2004 , for an online role-playing game that has now been discontinued, and for some radio plays .

action

Map of the Twelve Kingdoms

The high school student Yōko is a very insecure girl who tries to get along with everyone as well as possible. Lately she has been plagued by nightmares that keep her going. One day a strangely dressed man named Keiki appears in the classroom, calls Yōko "the one" and asks her to come with him to a safer place as she would be followed. He urges Yōko to hurry, kneels down before her, offers her his protection and his soul and asks her to accept. Completely surprised, Yōko accepts. Shortly afterwards, a bird-like monster appears and they flee onto the school roof. There they meet Yuka and Asano, two of Yoko's schoolmates. When it comes to the fight with the “bird”, Keiki gives Yōko a special sword and “animates” her with a kind of “spirit”, whereby Yōko succeeds in defeating the monster. Finally, Keiki takes Yōko and her comrades, with whom she does not want to part, through a kind of dimensional vortex into his and, as he claims, also Yōko's world. There they are separated from Keiki shortly after their arrival and a complex story begins in the land of the "12 kingdoms".

Novels and short stories

The forerunner of The Twelve Kingdoms was the horror novel Mashō no Ko ( 魔 性 の 子 , literally: demonic child ), which appeared on September 25, 1991 by Shinchōsha . This is about a boy (Taiki) who comes to modern Japan from another world. Some events from this novel have also been carried over to the following series of novels.

Jūni Kokuki consists of six novels and a collection of short stories. The first publication took place from June 20, 1992 to September 5, 2001 at the imprint Kōdansha X Bunkoban and consisted of 11 volumes of novels, since individual novels were published in two parts. These were illustrated by Akihiro Yamada. From January 15, 2000 to July 15, 2001 there was a second publication without illustrations by the imprint Kōdansha Bunkoban in 9 volumes. Since July 1, 2012, a new publication appears at Shinchōsha, starting with Mashō no Ko and the two-part first novel.

However, like the anime, the series is not officially over yet. In Japan , the novels (as of 2007) sold more than eight million times.

From August 2007 to April 2010, the first four novels under the name The Twelve Kingdoms were published by Tokyopop . Translators are Heike Boudalfa and Kimiko Nakayama-Ziegler.

  • The shadow of the moon. The Sea of ​​Shadows ( 月 の 影 影 の 海 , Tsuki no Kage. Kage no Umi ): Yōko becomes empress of the land of Kei.
  • The sea of ​​the wind. On the edge of the labyrinth ( 風 の 海 迷宮 の 岸 , Kaze no Umi. Meikyū no Kishi ): Taiki elects the emperor of the land of Tai.
  • The Eastern Sea God. The Blue Sea in the West ( 東 の 海神 西 の 滄海 , Higashi no Watatsumi. Nishi no Sōkai ): Plays chronologically before the other novels. Shōryū, the emperor of the land of En, suppresses a rebellion.
  • A thousand miles of the wind. Dawn sky ( 風 の 万里 黎明 の 空 , Kaze no Banri. Reimei no Sora ): Yōko, Suzu and Shōkei liberate the province of Wa in Kei.
  • Tonan no Tsubasa ( 図 南 の 翼 ): Shushō becomes empress of the land of Kyō.
  • Tasogare no Kishi. Akatsuki no Sora ( 黄昏 の 岸 暁 の 天 , literally: coast at dusk. Sky at dawn ): Risai meets Yōko to ask for help in summoning Taiki.
  • Kasho no Yume ( 華 胥 の 幽夢 , literally: Kasho's dream ): Various short stories that are set in the countries Tai, Hō, Kei, Sai and Sō.
    • Toei ( 冬 栄 )
    • Jōgetsu ( 乗 月 )
    • Shokan ( 書簡 )
    • Kasho ( 華 胥 )
    • Kizan ( 帰 山 )
  • Hisho no Tori ( 丕 緒 の 鳥 )
  • Rakushō no Goku ( 落照 の 獄 )

Anime

The anime is based on that of the multi-volume novel series. However, since this is very long and complex, several storylines are started in the anime, but they are touched on with the discontinuation of the series in episode 45, but not all of them are resolved. The plot focuses on Yōko's story.

The anime filmed the following novels and short stories:

  • Episodes 1–14: Tsuki no Kage, Kage no Umi (German moon shadow, shadow sea )
  • Episodes 15–21: Kaze no Umi, Meikyū no Kishi (German Sea of ​​Wind, Shore of the Labyrinth )
  • Episode 22: Shokan
  • Episodes 23–39: Kaze no Banri, Reimei no Sora (German wind from afar, sky at dawn )
  • Episode 40: Jōgetsu
  • Episodes 41–45: Higashi no Watatsumi, Nishi no Sōkai (German god of the seas of the east, ocean of the west )

In Germany , the anime by Anime Virtual was released unsynchronized with German subtitles on five double DVDs as 12 Kingdoms - Juuni Kokki .

synchronization

role Japanese speaker ( seiyū )
Yōko Nakajima Aya Hisakawa
Keiki Takehito Koyasu
Yuka Sugimoto Aya Ishizu
Ikuya Asano Yūji Ueda
Shōkei Hoko Kuwashima
Suzu Naomi Wakabayashi
Rakushun Ken'ichi Suzumura
Enki / Rokuta Kappei Yamaguchi
Taiki / Kaname Takasato Rie Kugimiya
Shōryū Masaki Aizawa
Gyōsō Saku Keiji Fujiwara

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 商品 情報 . In: 十二国記 . Archived from the original on June 5, 2011 ; Retrieved September 1, 2012 (Japanese, series related publications).
  2. ↑ TOKYOPOP August to November 2007 program. The Twelve Kingdoms. Tokyo, April 22, 2007; archived from the original on May 15, 2009 ; Retrieved September 1, 2012 .

Web links